‘Abercrombie & Fitch’ fragrances seized

‘Abercrombie & Fitch’ fragrances seized at Dublin Port

A total of 60,000 bottles of counterfeit perfume and aftershave have been seized in Dublin port, in what was the biggest seizure of counterfeit goods in Ireland’s history.

The 30 tonne load included fake Chanel and Abercrombie & Fitch sprays that had arrived from China to target the Christmas shopping market.

Customs officers say the products would be worth around €8 million (£5.61m) if they were sold on the high street, but would have a value of €2 million (£1.4m) on the black market.

A spokesperson for Customs said that if sold, the perfume would have amounted to a loss of €1.8 million (£1.2m) in revenue to the exchequer.

Customs Officer Mark O’Hanlon explained: “Fake goods like these can damage the community in several ways. “Apart from the loss of revenue to the exchequer, we have fake goods that can definitely harm the consumer because you don’t have any guarantees with this product.

“You don’t have any health and safety certification for them. Would you use fake medicines? Would you allow counterfeit brake pads in your car?”

“The perfume looks nice and smells nice and it is in pretty bottles but would you actually put it on your skin without the requisite certification and health standards that are required,” he said.

The seizure comes as shoppers enjoy special Black Friday deals both in stores and online.